


Feelin' 22

by marmolady



Series: Endless Ending [8]
Category: Endless Summer (Visual Novel)
Genre: Choices, F/F, Playchoices - Freeform, wlw
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-24
Updated: 2019-06-24
Packaged: 2020-05-18 21:57:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,696
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19343455
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/marmolady/pseuds/marmolady
Summary: Post-ending (Endless ending). It’s Estela’s birthday! I’m not about to let June go by without giving her a birthday party, am I?





	Feelin' 22

The feel of lips pressed tenderly against her own woke Estela from a deep slumber. She gave a grumbling murmur, but returned the kiss, still not quite awake enough to open her eyes.

 _“God, I hope that’s you, Taylor…”_ she breathed.

A light, loving laugh. “You say that like you can’t tell.” Taylor’s mouth travelled to her beloved’s cheek, and she kissed again as Estela’s eyes opened just a crack. “Happy birthday, dearest.”

“Mmmm… that’s today?”

Taylor hugged her tight, nuzzling against her neck and feeling a ticklish, yet undisguisedly delighted squirm. “It must be. I looked at you when I woke up, and I thought ‘goshdarnit, she’s grown even more beautiful overnight!’.”

Sleepily, Estela wrapped her arms around her wife, revelling in the softness of the bare skin of Taylor’s back, the feel of her shoulders, the warmth of her body pressed against her just so. “Maybe you just grew sappier overnight… you’relaying it on a little thick.”

“I’m sorry, do you want me to stop?”

A pause.

“No.”

Smirking, Taylor stroked a lock of hair behind Estela’s ear, finally getting they eye contact she craved-  _almost_ wide awake. “Good. Because I’m not sure I can keep a lid on how I feel about you right now.”

Then she slowly retreated beneath the sheet, her mouth pressed against firm muscle, skin painted with scars, as she moved downwards, earning a low moan from the woman beneath her. While her fingers deftly worked Estela’s chest, Taylor dragged her tongue teasingly across her hip, in towards the place she knew she was needed most. The painful tug of strong fingers grasping in her hair made it clear that this birthday gift was already well-received. “We better start your day off right, yeah?”

A little while later, they lay in a tangled mess, coming down from a blissful high.

“ _So_ ,” Taylor ran a finger down Estela’s upper-arm, “best birthday ever, or do I still have some work to do?”

A warm exhale that was almost a laugh. “Taylor, I’m with you. I’m happy.” Estela rocked her hips, sidling in even closer, and she pulled her wife’s mouth against her own in another long kiss. “Do you believe me?”

Taylor couldn’t help but grin. “Yeah. Yeah, I do.” She pressed her forehead against Estela’s. It felt wonderful… intimate. A silent ‘I love you’. “I just… it matters to me that today is special for you. I know it’s been a long time since you’ve really celebrated it- I’m not counting New Year’s; I mean a day that’s just yours.”

Estela closed her eyes and breathed in her lover’s comforting scent. It was difficult not to yearn for a time so very long ago, the shining days before her world turned cold. She’d barely known peace, but her mother had showered her with affection. And it had been enough. “That’s really nice of you. I’m still getting used to have someone go out of their way like that, to make me feel loved.” Lost in thought, she swirled a meandering pattern over Taylor’s back with a gentle finger. “I know Tio cared for me, but he stopped saying so after Mom died. My birthday was a hug and a beer; maybe he’d hint that he wanted to us open up, but then it would be business as usual. Survival. The violence didn’t stop for birthdays, so neither did we.” She opened her eyes again, staring deep into Taylor’s. For one so new, those eyes held so much wisdom. Oh, she could get lost in them. “But I have you now, and our friends… I’m grateful.”

There was a long, comfortable silence, then they dressed side by side. Estela watched Taylor over her shoulder and smiled. Just to be near to her seemed to make the sun shine brighter.

“I have something for you.” Taylor held out a small parcel.

“Taylor, you shouldn’t-“

“Stop that. I wanted to, okay?”

Relenting, Estela took the gift, her hand lingering to lovingly grasp Taylor’s fingers. The only person who’d ever really given her birthday gifts had been her mother… it made the gesture mean so much. She sat down on the bed, her wife right beside her, and carefully undid the wrapping.

Inside was a handcrafted necklace, a roughly carved pendant made from a shining material like amber but far harder, etched into the shape of a crab, and bordered by blue jewels and polished amber.

“Wow,” Estela said, quietly, stroking the pendant with her fingers and knowing immediately what it was, “it’s beautiful. This is… this is the spearhead?”

Taylor beamed. “Yup. That’s it. A nightmare to carve, but I had more than a little help. I figured, the first time we got together to kick ass? That deserves something special to remember it by. Hey- look at the back.”

The initials ‘T + E’ had been carved into the underside of the pendant. Estela took Taylor in her arms and hugged her tight. It was very…  _her_ , thoughtful and personal. “Thank you. Really, I… I love you, Taylor.”

Extracting herself just enough that she could gently take the necklace and secure it around her love’s neck, Taylor took the opportunity to lay some kisses in its wake. “There; beautiful  _and_ badass, just like you.” She looked up, meeting a warm gaze that seemed to overflow with gratitude and affection. “I love you too, Estela.” One more kiss. “Come on, you know Raj likes to go all-out on birthday breakfasts… but you better brace yourself for a whole lotta hugs coming your way!”

 

* * *

 

 

Drenched, clothes clinging to her skin as the rain buffeted her body, Taylor ran along the beach, holding onto Estela’s hand and trying not to trip up in her exuberance. The downpour had struck suddenly, but it had done little to slow them down- or at least Taylor thought so.

“Taylor, come on!” Estela laughed, getting sodden hair in her mouth as she did so. “Do you have rocks in your feet?”

Taylor tugged back, defiant, falling down and sending Estela tumbling after her. “Not so cocky now!” Her chest heaving with laughter, she tackled her wife into the wet sand, sending a spray into the air.

“Oh, that’s your game?”

Some scrambling and tickling later, Taylor found herself pinned down, squinting as rain fell on her upturned face. Estela peered over her, blocking the worst of the water, her expression curious.

“What’s up?” Taylor asked, reaching up to playfully stroke her lover’s nose.

“I was just thinking… we should head back- we can’t show up dripping wet to that party you’ve got planned…”

Taylor’s eyes grew wide. “Wait, wha-  _Estela!_  You’re  _not_ supposed to now about that!” she yelled over the rain.  _Fucking Estela… why did she even bother?_  As she rolled her eyes dramatically, she picked up a handful of wet sand and lobbed it at her wife, who looked only more smug. “You’re such an asshole. You couldn’t have just pretended to be surprised? Humoured our miserable attempt at keeping a secret?”

Pulling Taylor to her feet, Estela gave a fond laugh. “Oh,  _mi amor bella_ , you know I could never lie to you.” She held up her hoodie over their heads, sheltering them both, and leaned in to kiss her love’s sopping wet face. “We should cut through the forest; the trees will at least give some cover.” As they started walking, she added, “Taylor, if it makes you happy, I’ll pull a shocked face. But I told you, nothing surprises me.”

“Fine! I forgive you,” Taylor giggled. “I knew you were too freaking smart for me when I signed up for this.”

The day hadn’t gone exactly to Taylor’s plan, what with the surprise party turning out to be more of an ‘anticipated party’, and with the rain getting heavier by the hour, looking unlikely to be using the pool as a venue. Until everything had started getting away from her, she hadn’t quite realised how much pressure she was putting on the day being perfect. By the time Estela’s next birthday rolled around, Taylor was unlikely to be there for her, having made a promise to herself that she’d return to Vaanu and put the world right. This was all she had. The one chance to give her love, her soulmate the celebration she deserved.

Once back at the resort, Taylor was running around frantically, making sure everyone was on the same page. With everyone taking cover from the now torrential rain, it was an easy job, and by the time she returned to the suite, she was  _almost_ confident that the party wouldn’t be a disappointment.

Estela was sitting on the couch, a towel wrapped around her, knees tucked up. She watched the trees outside their window thrashing in the wind. There was something rather peaceful about being cocooned away from a storm raging outside… it brought back memories of her childhood, growing up in a country that was rife with instability. When she was holed up with her mother, with her  _tio_ , it was childish naivete, but she felt untouchable. Taylor made her feel the same.

“Are you gonna stop running around like a headless chicken now?”

Taylor couldn’t help but smile. “You know me; birthdays make me over-excited. I’m definitely due a ‘cool your tits’ shower. So, uh… you getting dressed, or just going with the towel? You  _do_ look so pretty like that…”

Her cheeks reddening pleasurably under the gaze of Taylor’s eyes upon her bare shoulders, Estela stretched forward to take hold of her wife, pulling her into a hug.

“I wasn’t sure of the dress code. How do you want me?”

“Oh…” Taylor wrapped her hand around Estela’s face, which was resting against her hip. “I’d have you just… like… this. But… eh, maybe some nice jeans? Feel free to raid my closet.”

She emerged from the shower a little while later nicely refreshed, and to find Estela indeed wearing jeans with one of Taylor’s dressier shirts… with the ornate crab necklace.

“This is fine?”

“You look perfectly lovely. I can give you a hand with your hair if you like?”

Having dressed herself, happily at ease with the company as she did so, Taylor delicately styled her wife’s hair, similarly to how she’d had it for New Year’s. Estela relaxed into the gentle touch, a soft smile playing upon her lips. Those moments of quiet closeness were what she lived for, and she knew that they meant as much to them both. Over the months she’d spent on La Huerta, Estela had felt changes within herself; she was physically  _different._  The tension that had once held her in its grip was steadily ebbing away; and the smiles once so rare, observed only by a privileged few, they were now given freely and easily.

There was a gentle rap on the door.

“That’s our summons! Guess they’re ready for you. Come in!”

Quinn emerged through the door, beaming, and practically bouncing on toes in anticipation. “My, aren’t you two looking nice this evening? Special occasion?”

Estela found herself slightly nervous. She could tell herself was nothing to worry about, just a simple party… it was just a thing friends did… but that kind of focused affection was something she just plain didn’t know what to do with. Her smile must have looked like a grimace, for Quinn pulled her into what she read as a pity hug.

“You should see the feast Raj has rustled up. Trust me, you’ll love it.”

 _Pull yourself the fuck together, you’ve fought monsters. This is just a freaking party. Just a party… Goddammit, Taylor, you couldn’t have kept my birthdate to yourself?_ Hugging back, Estela felt her confidence spark back up. They had, after all, held tons of parties… and as yet, no one had died from an overdose of love and affection. Then, Taylor got herself in on the hug and the jitters calmed.

“Blind-fold on! Blind-fold on!”

Estela rolled her eyes but obliged. An insane level of trust in these people… her  _tio_ would have been horrified. She let herself be led, Taylor on one side, Quinn on the other. The feeling was weirdly… wonderful; no more defences, just literal blind trust. Wherever they were taking her, it felt like quite a trek, but she happily rolled along with it.

At long last, the trio came to a stop, voices all around them.

“Okay, can I take this off now?”

Taylor delicately pulled the scarf away, and her face split with a broad smile as she watched her wife’s eyes go wide.

“ _Happy birthday!”_  came a loud and disjointed chorus.

The game room was bright with lights and streamers, one half of the floor had been lined with mattresses, and the tables piled high with mountains of food. And there were all her friends… all there for her.

Lost for words, Estela could only stammer incoherently. Even knowing it was coming, she couldn’t prepare for the feeling hitting her, and damn, it hit her like a train. When she brought her hand to her face, her eyes were watery. Pulled into Taylor’s arms, in mere moments she was engulfed in a sweeping group hug.

She glanced away bashfully as the crowd parted, but she couldn’t hide the smile.

“Aw, Katniss! Need a beer?” Jake ruffled her hair teasingly, and somehow it did just the trick.

Estela huffed, but still that smile wouldn’t budge. How could it, when it felt like she was high as a cloud? “Pfft. Damn straight I need a beer. You didn’t have to…”

Michelle interrupted her with a swift slap to the arm. “Don’t you even start! I know this is a little out of your comfort zone. But just relax and let us do this for you, okay?”

“Fine,” Estela growled, accepting another hug with one arm and accepting a beer with the other.

The feast was colossal. Raj’s birthday spreads always were; give the man an excuse and he’d really go to town with hospitality. The table was laid out with vegetables in gloriously-scented sauces,  _several_ seafood platters, roasted native pig, glazed fruits, and of course, a colossal cake- for which Quinn could be thanked.

Realising that Taylor would be incapable of doing her usual toast without bursting into tears, Michelle took the mantle.

“I’ll make this quick because soon we won’t be able to hear a thing over the sound of Craig’s stomach…”

“Aw, Meech, it’s just throwing out pre-dinner compliments to the chef!”

Raj beamed. “Gratefully received, thanks a heap, Craig’s-stomach!”

Craig contorted his voice, apparently trying to capture the rumbling tone of his own digestive system. “ _Yroooourrrr wreeelcoooome, Raaaajjj_ … gurgle.”

There was a long silence of complete shared dumbfoundment, broken eventually by Zahra choking on her cocktail with barely suppressed laughter.

“Did your mind grow up, like,  _at all_ once you passed the age of seven, scrublord?” By which she meant, of course, ‘I love you. Never change.’

Michelle cleared her throat. “Now that we’ve all been put off our food…” she continued over Raj’s gasp of horror, “I want to say a few words.” Looking to Estela, who plainly looked like she was willing herself to evaporate on the spot, she smiled warmly. “Our sweet, terrifying Estela. We all know these speeches are cringey and that you’re wishing the ground would swallow you up right now, but no one ever says these things enough.”

Estela didn’t have a clue where to look, so she gazed pointedly downwards, her blushing face sinking slowly lower into her own folded arms. “If you have to…”

“Yes, I do!” Michelle said firmly. “Or I’ll get Taylor to stand up and do it, and she’ll  _really_ make a scene.”

“Rude,” said Taylor, though she knew full well that it was true.

Michelle took a breath before continuing, offering a supportive smile to her bashful friend. “Estela, I am so grateful that you let us get to know you… and that we had the good sense to see past the mysterious and intimidating exterior… the walls you put up. I’m sure I’m not just speaking for yourself when I say that I’ve never met anyone so utterly fearless in their determination. And I realised how lucky we are, to be taken into your inner circle, knowing how deeply, how fiercely you care for your people. Whatever this island threw at us, you always had our asses covered, and somewhere along the line the walls fell down. So, here’s to you…”

“Wait!” Craig piped up. “You haven’t said about the time she swapped bodies with Grace, and yeeted Aleister into the pool! That might have been the actual highlight of my life! Pretty sure that deserves a mention in the speech.”

Zahra smirked and gave him a high-five, smoothly whizzing her hand past his. “Hell yeah. In the top five Estela moments  _fo sure_.”

“You know,” Aleister drawled, “I had hoped we could go a measly  _week_ without that fiasco being brought up…”

“Still sore, brosky?” Craig laughed.

Aleister flushed. “Well, of course, you  _would_ find the derailment of a dignified toast to be entertaining, wouldn’t you?”

Standing up to his impressive height, Sean rapped his glass with a spoon, quietening his friends before banter inevitably swelled into a spat. “Easy, guys.” He turned to Estela, who looked rather more comfortable now that reverent speeches had given way to the usual verbal sparring between friends. “Do you wanna say a few words, birthday girl?”

“Um.” Estela glanced awkwardly around the table, seeing only earnest affection. She was touched… deeply so, but had no reference point for receiving such gestures. “Thanks… uh…” She cleared her throat loudly and wiped a tear from her eye as discreetly as possible. “I’ve never known this kind of friendship, and maybe I’m still sometimes… sometimes, unsure of, um… how to show how much you all mean to me. But you do; you mean a lot.” A sideways glance brought the short speech to a swift end. “And… I’m gonna stop there because Taylor’s already crying. So, that’s it. Thanks.”

She once again hid in her arms as the whole group cheered, and she was hugged by Taylor as Jake laughed at them both. Man, this was embarrassing; but at the same time… it felt so damn good. When she lifted her head, Estela wasn’t sure if those tears were born of the emotion the bubbled up within her, or the laughter that she just couldn’t hold back, but it didn’t even matter. She was among family.

With the trauma of toasts and speeches out the way, Estela quickly let her nerves go. Really, the mountain of food before her was a perfect distraction from the limelight, and soon it felt like any other of Raj’s famous feasts. No pressure, just friends hanging out. Varyyn presented Estela with a gift from everyone; the mottled green-brown outfit worn by the most skilled of Vaanti hunters, who had found her prowess impressive -by human standards. It was a great honour, and like so many times that day, Estela didn’t know what to say. Choked up, she nodded her thanks, and accepted another round of hugs. Before long, the jukebox was blasting, everyone was throwing back the drinks, and it was impossible not to caught up in the waves of wild dancing, and the laughter that just didn’t stop. In this atmosphere of light-hearted reverie, and feeling the effects of a large scotch, Aleister found the nerve to take Estela aside for the brief moment of mutual opening up, acknowledgement of their fledgling relationship as siblings. A glancing hug- the very first between them, and they parted as though nothing had ever happened. It was an illusion, though; an unspoken barrier had been breached… quietly, no fanfare, no acknowledgement at all… and there would be no going back.

It was all overwhelming. Estela took herself off to the edge of the party and sat down on the floor, watching pensively over the celebration. That it was all  _for her_ was difficult to fully comprehend. It boggled the mind.

Tripping over her feet, Taylor slumped against the wall and slid to the floor, chortling to herself.

“Hello, Taylor,” Estela said through a helpless grin. It was true; she’d married a lightweight… not that she wasn’t  _slightly_ feeling the effects herself. “My pretty little - _hic-_ alien… you can’t dance, but I love you.”

Taylor snorted with laughter and fell sideways into her wife’s lap. “Oh no!” she hissed. “You’re  _dru-unk!_ ”

“Pfft. No! I don’t get drunk. I always have my wits about me - _hic_.”

“Suuuure, if you say so. Either way, I love you too.” Taylor put her arms around Estela’s waist and looked up at her with a goofy smile as the cuddle was reciprocated. “Hey, we’re not done yet, you know. We all talked, and we thought it would be kinda fun if we made this like a slumber party- ‘cause you never went to one growing up, and I certainly didn’t… or Grace, or Aleister, or Quinn… Diego sort of did but he left partway through because they were picking on him…”

Estela couldn’t stop herself from laughing. When it was said like  _that_ the gang really sounded like they could hold the saddo Olympics and there'd be some stiff competition among them. “Jeez - _hic-_ , we’re a mess. All of us.” She looked wistfully out over the dancefloor where everyone was up and moving- either jumping in time with the beat, or goofing off, or giggling drunkenly on one-another’s shoulders. Once she might have doubted that they realised how much they meant to her, how much she loved them; not now. “It never feels like that- not anymore,” she said, more quietly. “If we  _are_ a mess, we’re one that works. You don’t even notice all the shattered pieces.” Looking back down to her lover, still gazing at her with quiet adoration, she felt a pleasant tingling warmth that had nothing to do with the drinks she’d downed.

“Taylor…”

“Yeah?”

“I want to thank you. You know, for this. For everything.”

“It was my pleasure, really. You make me so happy… I kinda wanted to run with the excuse to show you that.” Taylor leaned up, leaving a clumsily placed trail of kisses from Estela’s forehead to her lips. The look in her eyes said it all; she was truly happy, and it was all that Taylor had wanted for her. With a gentle nudge of her elbow, Taylor brought both of them back out of their lovestruck daze. The day was a success, but she wasn’t  _quite_ done. “But I already said it; it’s not over yet. I guessed if we were doing a slumber party, you might be interested in kicking ass in what would be a pillow-fight for the ages. If you’re not too scared Top Gun might beat you, that is…”

“Ha. Are you serious?” Just like that, Estela was bent over laughing.

“Well, I thought it was more up your alley than us all just sitting on a mattress giving each other manicures.”

Her eyes lit up, Estela awkwardly staggered to her feet, taking Taylor with her.  _This_ , she thought,  _was going to be fun._

Sean, as he always seemed to find himself, took on the role of the presiding grown-up. He wasn’t sure when he signed up to be ‘group dad’, but it certainly didn’t look like anyone else was about to do it. “Right; rules! Hitting with pillows only, nothing extra in the pillowcase…”

“Goddammit!” Zahra grumbled, pulling several billiard balls out of hers.

Having noticed a worryingly mischievous gleam in Estela’s eye, and knowing that he was  _just_  drunk enough that he was unlikely to dodge a single hit, Jake made his own contribution to the official pillow-fight guidelines. “Seein’ as we’re in a ‘may need to repopulate the earth’ type scenario, I’m gonna put it out there that blows must not be aimed near anyone’s crown jewels.”

Estela scoffed. “Coward  _-hic-_.”

“Sorry, Katniss, didn’t catch that? Mighty confident for someone I’m  _pretty sure_ ain’t even capable of walking in a straight line right now…”

Raj’s voice had jumped up in pitch at even the thought- at any rate, bruised testes on any of his guests would most definitely ruin the vibe he’d so lovingly crafted.  “Imma gonna go with Jake on this one. Let’s keep this pillow-fight fun and fluffy.”

“-Like, you know,  _a pillow_!” Diego added, quietly grateful that he had Varyyn to hide behind in the upcoming melee.

Showing no such apprehension, Craig was practically bouncing in eagerness. “Pantsing is legal though? Come on, bruh, gotta give me pantsing!”

Sean took over once more. “I think we can agree- let’s keep blows to the groin to a minimum. And you may pants to your heart’s content,  _only_ if the target has willingly entered the danger zone.” He paused through Craig’s triumphant roar. “So that’s it- ten seconds to get to safety, then it’s a free-for-all. Ten... nine...”

Mayhem ensued.

In the ‘safe zone’, the half of the room that hadn’t been decked out with mattresses, the less gung-ho among the group… or rather, anyone not brave enough to pick a fight with Estela, started a rather tame and civilised playful squabble. Michelle, Quinn and Raj took turns daring one another to run into the thick of the action to take a swing at the serious players, but for the most part enjoyed the fun and fluffy pillow-fight experience. Between Grace and Aleister, the pillow-fight was gentle, almost flirty, in stark contrast to the ruckus on the other end of the room.

Pillows were flying in all directions, and, naturally, the birthday girl was in the centre of the action, still buzzing from the drink and laughing fit to burst as she traded blows with Jake and Sean -who’d gotten sucked in from his original stance as referee. Absolutely baffled by this most bizarre of human activities, Varyyn nonetheless steadfastly shielded Diego from the combined attentions of Craig and Zahra. Poor Taylor made the mistake of trying to give him a hand; soon finding herself being flung around by the legs of her pants by a wildly over-excited Craig.

“Run, Diego!” she cried, as she fell out of her trousers with precious little dignity, all the while hanging desperately onto her pillow as Zahra attempted to tug it from her grasp. “Don’t let my sacrifice be for nothing!”

Pants-less and pillow-less, Taylor stumbled drunkenly back to Estela with her tail between her legs.

“So, uh, that didn’t go so well for me…”

A deliriously giggly Estela tugged her up onto the pool table and into her arms. “Not your finest moment, no. But I still love you.” Effortlessly, she twirled Taylor out of the way of Jake’s pillow as it flew their way, and caught it with her free hand. “Here,” she said with a cheeky wink, offering Taylor her second weapon, “we can take them.”

And so, the night rolled on and on, amid shrieks of laughter, bellowing war cries, Diego’s lightsabre impressions with every swing of his pillow, and more than a few unceremonious pantsings. One by one, the partygoers dropped into the strewn mattresses, forming a sprawling cuddle-puddle. In the centre of the pile, Estela blissfully drifted to sleep amid the sounds of her friends all around her; variously grunting while trying to get comfortable, engaging in one last round of whispered banter, the odd groan from those who’d sustained bruises in the thick of the action, or mumbling ‘good-nights’. She, of course, ended the long day in the same way she started it, with Taylor’s arms wrapped lovingly around her.

As Taylor felt Estela’s breathing deepen, no doubt to soon give way to contented snores, she knew her mission was complete. Maybe… maybe she couldn’t offer the forever she’d promised; maybe she’d have to leave if it meant restoring the world. Taylor didn’t imagine she could ever come to terms with leaving the woman she loved, but… these moments, the priceless days she had to give Estela? Days like this one would be shared in their hearts and memories; theirs, always.


End file.
